DeSantis’ Migrant Stunt Was Gross. But Was It Against the Law?
After the shock arrival of 50 Venezuelan men, women, and children on the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts on Wednesday, Democrats nationwide have called on the Biden administration to investigate the stunt as potential human trafficking—a comparison that even the White House has embraced.
“This maneuver raises serious legal questions and will have untold repercussions on the individuals caught up in the governor’s political stunt,” said Florida agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried, who accused Gov. Ron DeSantis of “political human trafficking by sending a flight of dozens of asylum seekers to an island five miles from the mainland. “An investigation is necessary.”
“Shipping vulnerable migrants across the country is not a campaign tactic. It is human trafficking,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MI). “It is the abuse of dozens of human beings and a celebration of that abuse for political gain.”